As the intercom announced the end of visiting hours, I grabbed my coat, kissed my wife (without a mask – don't tell Dr. Fauci), and headed toward the elevator. Hanging my head a bit, I sighed while recalling countless hours in hospitals during 35-plus years as her caregiver – and through her more than 80 operations. A 1983 car accident left Gracie severely disabled and eventually cost her both legs, and most recently, a 9-hour surgery on her back.
Briefly lost in reflection, I overheard a group of nurses laughing loudly. Turning to see the commotion, I discovered they put baby pictures of themselves on a wall, and their colleagues had to guess who belonged to which image.
To hear lively conversations and laughter seems a stark contrast to the difficulties of daily care those nurses undertake. Yet joy and even hilarity are not mutually exclusive to difficult times. Caring for those following complex operations is hard enough. However, medical care in the COVID world is brutal and isolating – and the laughter of nurses served as a welcome reverberation against the painful circumstances felt by patients and at least one weary caregiver.
